The lad ended up slipping and falling flat on his face. His torch went flying and the two soldiers in the immediate vicinity fell to cursing before they realized Urake was there. They hushed and departed hastily a moment later.
“What…? Where did you sense him?” Urake helped Emeck to his feet and began brushing him off.
“No, I saw him!” Emeck spit a little blood and wiped his mouth with a muddy sleeve. Spitting again he tried to find a clean patch of clothes to remove the mud.
“He was in the cave?” Urake was confused. He was sure that he had been throughout the cave and felt he would have recognized Skeln if he had seen him among the soldiers.
“No, not in the cave. I didn’t see him. It was one of the guards on sentry duty that saw him and I was seeing through his eyes so I saw him.” Emeck accepted the rag that Urake offered and wiped the mud away from his mouth. He had a split lip, but wasn’t more much the worse for the wear.
“One of these days, someone is going to get offended.”
“No, he won’t remember. In fact, he didn’t even notice.”
“That isn’t what I meant. Where did you see Skeln?” Urake returned Emeck to the important topic.
“This way. It will be faster if I just show you.” Urake followed as Emeck led him through the camp towards the Garoche side. He pulled Emeck up short when they reached the edge of a clearing. He could hardly believe his eyes. There his long lost son stood clad in furs, tanned, lean, with longer messy hair, and restrained by a couple sentries while Redzyn talked. Urake was about to step forward when he began hearing the conversation.
“What is your name and what were you doing alone coming out of the Garoche?” Redzyn was interrogating the Skeln.
“My name is Cero and I'm a trapper. I was just coming down from checking one of my trapping lines. I didn’t do anything wrong so just let me go, please.”
“You seem awful young to be up there all alone, plus you don’t have any furs or traps. We had a deep spawned storm earlier so it must have been a blizzard up on the hill. How did you survive that?” Redzyn stepped back and queried as he scrutinized the boy curiously.
“I'm not young. I will be fifteen this coming winter and I got to feed my ailing mother. That storm is the reason that I had to leave my traps and furs up on the mountain. The new snow that fell was too deep to carry them through.”
“So… what do you trap for?” Redzyn seemed to be buying the story.
“Mostly small fur bearing animals like minks and fox. I can sell those for more. I trap some rabbit and other game animals also for food, but I usually keep their skins. What would you trap for?” Skeln asked innocently as Urake tried to figure out where his son had learned to lie.
“I have always wanted a nice big cougar or bear pelt, but… I will be the one asking the questions! Your accent isn’t from around here. Why might that be?” Redzyn scowled at the detainee.
“Not surprising. My mother came from a big town in the midlands. She made me speak proper.”
“Humph. Could be. I'm going to let you go, but I advise that you don’t be coming back through here again.” Redzyn motioned to the sentries who released Skeln’s shoulders.
“Can I have my rock back?” Skeln refused to move when the sentries tried leading him back out of the camp.
“What rock?”
“Some round river rock that he had on him when we searched him for weapons.” One of the sentries volunteered answer to Redzyn’s question.
“Where is this rock?” Redzyn sounded tired of dealing with the issue and wanted it to go away.
“They threw it away. They had no right. It was mine!”
“Listen boy. Don’t push your luck. I am only letting you go because you remind me of a lad I used to know and because of your sick mother. Now get out of here and take your damned rock with you!” Redzyn turned and began stomping away when Urake, wearing his hood, entered the clearing and raised a hand that caused the sentries to stop with Skeln in tow.
“I wouldn’t let him go just yet.” Skeln flinched and began peering intently at the shadowed face when he hear Urake’s voice, thrown as it was.